Prof. Nicholas Bednar ’16 Interviewed by E&E News About Proposal Requiring Civil Servants to Sign Nondisclosure Agreements

Professor Nicholas Bednar ’16 was interviewed by E&E News about a proposal by the Office of Personnel Management to have civil servants sign a governmentwide nondisclosure agreement (NDA). The measure is designed to have new and existing employees acknowledge and agree with laws already in place to safeguard “non-public, confidential, or proprietary information.” If those employees break the NDA — or refuse to sign it — they could be fired by their agencies. The new push is part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to crack down on leaks surrounding policy moves and to further realign the federal workforce. Prof. Bednar said the government can already discipline employees who disclose confidential information. He said, “The Trump administration likely believes NDAs are necessary to reduce leaks regarding mismanagement within the agencies. The greatest concern is that the NDA will chill genuine whistleblowers from reporting illegal activity to Congress, inspectors general, or other actors capable of responding to such allegations.”